Canada's Top Small & Medium Employers (2025) - Flipbook - Page 62
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CANADA'S TOP SMALL & MEDIUM EMPLOYERS (2025)
Performance is the biggest qualification at Patlon
W
ith just 40
employees,
Patlon Aircraft &
Industries can feel
a little like a family.
“Everybody knows everyone,” says chief financial officer
Marilena McGowan. From the
owners on down, there’s a sense of
including and looking out for each
other. The company’s frequent social events, from monthly birthday
celebrations to attending a baseball game together or a barbecue
with wagyu beef, are something
employees really look forward to.
The Halton Hills, Ont., distributor and service provider shares its
success with employees, too, in the
form of an annual pay-for-performance bonus worth up to 15 per
cent of salary. Half of it is based
on the company’s performance
and half on how far the employee
progressed towards goals set out in
twice-annual performance reviews
with their manager.
“Patlon is unusual in the fact
that it has this bonus that runs
through the entire company,”
McGowan says. It’s not reserved
for employees on management
track.
And though it lacks the detailed
diversity, equity and inclusion
policies common to large employers, the company has nonetheless
created a culture where the entire
board of directors is composed of
people from visible minorities,
and two-thirds of the leadership
team are women. Parneet Kaur, a
bid and program manager hired
just two years ago, feels inspired
by their example.
“We have two strong leaders of
two different departments who are
women,” Kaur says. “For me as a
female employee, they understand
where we’re coming from, right?”
“Patlon looks at and promotes
based on skill sets, and so if you’re
a woman with a strong skill set,
you can advance just as quickly
as a man can. It’s not as if we’re
focusing on women,” McGowan
adds. “It’s just how it is at Patlon.”
Patlon also makes a priority of
promoting people from within its
ranks. Applicants are hired on the
basis of skill sets, experience and
fit — the last of which naturally
favours internal candidates.
“If someone is lacking qualifications, we might look at how
we can support that person in
developing their skills for that
role,” McGowan says. “And if not,
we will look for outside candidates
as well.”
Managers double up as mentors,
helping map out employees’
career advancement, offering
advice and recommending courses
of training.
“I have weekly meetings with my
manager,” Kaur says. “Whenever I
have a question, she’s always there
to help.”
Patlon allocates each employee $1,000 a year to spend on
“PATLON LOOKS AT AND PROMOTES BASED ON SKILL
SETS, AND SO IF YOU’RE A WOMAN WITH A STRONG SKILL
SET, YOU CAN ADVANCE JUST AS QUICKLY AS A MAN CAN.”
— Marilena McGowan, Chief Financial Officer
Employees at Patlon Aircraft & Industries advance through the organization based on their skill sets.
